Teacher Inspiration
Much of my desire to become a teacher stems from experiences I had as a pupil in the classrooms of talented and dedicated educators. One such educator was my 8th grade Social Studies teacher, Mr. Gilmartin. Although Mr. Gilmartin technically taught Social Studies, he spent a great deal of the year focusing on topics in Environmentalism and served as the advisor of the Environmental club, so it was really him who first ignited my passion for science through environmentalism.
Mr. Gilmartin was unlike any teacher I or my 8th grade peers had had before. It was his personal mission to prepare us for high school and the “real-world” after that, so he treated us like young adults and not over-sized elementary-schoolers like some middle school teachers tend to do. His expectations for our behavior and academic performance were higher than most of his students had experienced before, causing some resentment towards him at the beginning of the year, but most hostility had dissolved by mid-November after he had taken our class on several of his famous field trips. It was clear that Mr. Gilmartin put lots of thought and effort into our classroom activities, something that his students always appreciated. In addition to his professional interest in preparing us all for the overwhelming world of high school, Mr. Gilmartin took a personal interest in his students, including me, something I am still very grateful for today. As I mentioned, Mr. Gilmartin was the advisor for the afterschool Environmental Club, which took field trips to places like Rome Point, Hunt’s River, and Mackerel Cove to test water quality, take ecological surveys and do trash removal. Due to my academic performance in his class, Mr. Gilmartin invited me to join the club, but I declined since 8th grade me was more concerned with maintaining my spot in the “cool kids” clique. Instead of letting it slide, Mr. Gilmartin kept me in his room for lunch one day and asked me to talk about the real reasons I didn’t want to join the club and asked me to reconsider. I’m thankful for that nudge in the right direction because I really enjoyed my time in the Environmental Club. The first time I really felt like a scientist was when we got to use water quality testing kits to look at nitrogen and dissolved oxygen levels in a stream behind our school. I think my decision to become a science teacher is due in large part to Mr. Gilmartin’s personal interest in my future, and for that I’m extremely thankful. It is my goal to one day be the type of teacher who makes the kind of difference in their student’s lives as Mr. Gilmartin made in mine.
Much of my desire to become a teacher stems from experiences I had as a pupil in the classrooms of talented and dedicated educators. One such educator was my 8th grade Social Studies teacher, Mr. Gilmartin. Although Mr. Gilmartin technically taught Social Studies, he spent a great deal of the year focusing on topics in Environmentalism and served as the advisor of the Environmental club, so it was really him who first ignited my passion for science through environmentalism.
Mr. Gilmartin was unlike any teacher I or my 8th grade peers had had before. It was his personal mission to prepare us for high school and the “real-world” after that, so he treated us like young adults and not over-sized elementary-schoolers like some middle school teachers tend to do. His expectations for our behavior and academic performance were higher than most of his students had experienced before, causing some resentment towards him at the beginning of the year, but most hostility had dissolved by mid-November after he had taken our class on several of his famous field trips. It was clear that Mr. Gilmartin put lots of thought and effort into our classroom activities, something that his students always appreciated. In addition to his professional interest in preparing us all for the overwhelming world of high school, Mr. Gilmartin took a personal interest in his students, including me, something I am still very grateful for today. As I mentioned, Mr. Gilmartin was the advisor for the afterschool Environmental Club, which took field trips to places like Rome Point, Hunt’s River, and Mackerel Cove to test water quality, take ecological surveys and do trash removal. Due to my academic performance in his class, Mr. Gilmartin invited me to join the club, but I declined since 8th grade me was more concerned with maintaining my spot in the “cool kids” clique. Instead of letting it slide, Mr. Gilmartin kept me in his room for lunch one day and asked me to talk about the real reasons I didn’t want to join the club and asked me to reconsider. I’m thankful for that nudge in the right direction because I really enjoyed my time in the Environmental Club. The first time I really felt like a scientist was when we got to use water quality testing kits to look at nitrogen and dissolved oxygen levels in a stream behind our school. I think my decision to become a science teacher is due in large part to Mr. Gilmartin’s personal interest in my future, and for that I’m extremely thankful. It is my goal to one day be the type of teacher who makes the kind of difference in their student’s lives as Mr. Gilmartin made in mine.